Say Yes To Your Kids More Often

Why One Mom Is Vowing To Say "Yes" To Her Kids More Often

After a particularly harrowing experience at a summer camp, Rachel Ann Carpenter has vowed to say yes to her daughter more often — within reason, of course.

In a post to her Facebook page earlier this month, Carpenter explained the experience that led to her new philosophy that life is too short to say "no" all of the time. Last year, she said, her daughter asked her if she could have pink hair, and she said no.

"A few days later at a camp they were doing a demonstration involving fire and something went wrong and it caught her on fire," she wrote. "She had horrible burns over 70% of her body."

"It was a long three months, she went through countless surgeries and a demanding recovery period," she said.

"So this time when she asked me if she could have pink hair, I said yes," Carpenter wrote on Facebook. "That experience taught me you never know how much time you have left, with anyone. So say yes more often, and don't care if anyone thinks your child with pink hair is ridiculous!"

Since Carpenter posted her story to Facebook, it has gone viral with over 22,000 shares at the time of writing. And she's right — it won't hurt to give your child more chances to enjoy their lives (à la Chrissy Teigen). Within reason, of course.

"Life is so unexpected, tomorrow is not promised," Carpenter told Scary Mommy. "Pick your battles and enjoy your children and let them live a little. You don’t have to justify your parenting choices to anyone, as long as you have a happy healthy child."

"Time is not promised to anyone, no matter what their age is," she adds to Refinery29. "Accidents happen everyday but are so unexpected, live to the fullest each day."

Welcome to Mothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about or passing on kids, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.